7 miles and turf home.

There they are - bags of peat, brought home from the bogs of Fionnán.  There is still one or two day's work left to get the rest home, but the bulk of the bog work is done.  It was tough, but nice to be out there in this weather.  Afterwards, I did my scheduled 7 mile tempo - up the village.  The run was:  2 miles easy, 3 miles fast, 2 miles easy.  I was surprised at how good I felt, given all the hard labour over the past few days!  It was pretty dark by the time I had finished, so 8pm runs are probably not a great idea from now on...I had to ditch the interval training this week, but from now on I should have a clear run at the marathon programme.

Distance:  7 miles

Route:  Village
Satisfaction:  8/10

Hard day on the bog - too tired to run!

In the age of instant heat, there is something seriously ancient about a man spending a day on the bog, saving turf for winter fires.  But today, that man was me... We spent six solid hours wheeling bags of peat out to the road.  It was a beautiful day, with a slight breeze but not a cloud in sight.  

My father and mother were there too, working hard and having fun at the same time.  Around these parts the turf is still cut by hand and saved in the old fashioned way, and a lorry load will see a house through a cold winter.  We have an open fire at home and love to light up from October onwards.  I brought the camera to catch the bogcotton... a beautiful sight!  

Of course, after all this hardship, I had to give my scheduled run a miss.  We really have to take advantage of the good weather to save the turf - so this could take a few days out of the schedule.

12 miles, and the end of the Louth holiday.

Two lovely weeks in Louth have come to an end, so we're back home in Connemara.  While poor wifey has to go back to work tomorrow, I still have a week's holiday left (which will be spent working on the bog to bring the turf/peat home!).  While Louth was a lovely break, my running programme suffered a small bit.  I kept up the long runs but the interval sessions were dropped and the tempo sessions were reduced.  Holidays can drag you this way and that so it was difficult to commit to 'personal time'.  However, I did get out for a twelve mile run yesterday morning - heading from Stabannan to Louth Village.  It was a decent route, six miles straight in one direction and then turning back for home.  The scenery was beautiful and the day was clear - but with a slight wind that I had to face into on the way out.  Added to the wind on the way out was the ever so slight incline that seemed to run the entire way, with only a slight give here and there.  Of course this meant that I had the wind at my back and a slow downhill all the way home!

The picture here is of Knockabbey Gardens - a lovely open garden on the grounds of Knockabbey Castle, just outside Louth village.  The castle itself dates back to the 13th century, and many of the families that lived there since have added to the wonderful garden.  I called in here on Friday and met the owner briefly.  It's a lovely place and a great way to knock out an hour or so.

Distance:  12miles

Pace:  9.30mins

Satisfaction 7/10

Walking Slieve Foy.

Carlingford is one of the most beautiful little towns in all of Ireland.  It's where D and I celebrated our marriage two years ago and a place for which we've always had a soft spot.  There are many attractive aspects to Carlingford: the lough, the medieval castle, the quirkly little streets... and of course the mountain (ok, hill).  I've been determined to walk Slieve Foy for some time but never really got a chance until now - us being on holidays here.  I parked beside the Tourist Office and set off past St. Michael's Church, where the tourist office woman assured me there was a path to pull me up! 

The Foy isn't the biggest of hills (it's certainly not a mountain!), but it's no joke either.  It took me an hour and forty minutes to reach the summit, with some 'mild climbing' at the very top.  It is, however, a fantastic walk.  Twenty minutes after heading off from the tourist office I was knee deep in peace and quiet, with nothing to be heard except for the odd baa-ing of the sheep, the sound of streams trickling, birds overhead and the ever so slight wind. 

I'm new to this hill walking lark, but it was fantastic and something I'll definitely do more of.  It's also a very good workout - I was sweating like a marathon runner on my way up and needed to stop for a break now and then (this wouldn't happen while running!).  The final push up to the summit was straining enough, but reaching the top gives you a great feeling - akin to finishing a good race. 

The descent is nice, but be careful with your step - I nearly turned my ankle once, which would have meant an awkward journey down. Thank God today was a beautiful, dry day - otherwise my choice of walking shoes were flimsy to say the least (an old pair of asics). 

I was tempted to add to my pints count for the year after coming down the hill, but a soup in PJ O'Hare's was good enough for me!

14 Miles and 17 Pints.

From here to Béal an Daingin (the mouth of the Daingean) with a strong wind in my face and the ever present threat of rainstorms, whilst feeling a little tired on the heels of two big family parties.  It all seemed a little daunting this morning, but one does what one must, and all that carry on.  I took it nice and easy - about a 9.40 minute pace, and plodded onwards to complete the longest run of my furman programme so far.  14 miles, and not one of them kind.  I'm still on my holidays - and will be until September 7th, but we are 'staycationing' this year, which means dividing our time between Connemara and my wife's home county of Louth.  On Friday night D and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on the same day that her father and mother were celebrating their 40th.  So we had a big party.     

Saturday's party was a fancy dress, so no, I don't normally wear flashy red shirts and hats.  And yes, it is hard to say what I'm dressed up as, but it's meant to be a 70s theme.  The lovely D is, however, clearly making less of an effort!

Then on Saturday my brother celebrated his 40th birthday, so we drove back home to Connemara, where we had another big party!  I managed to stay away from all the liquer that was being thrown around at these two occasions, but I did drink two pints in Stabannan on Thursday night with Aidie and Benny.  So the tally for the year is 17 and counting!

Distance:  14 miles

Route:  From home to Béal an Daingin

Satisfaction:  6/10

Holiday Runs in Louth.

I'm up here on my hols in my wife's home County of Louth.  I've managed to keep my furman programme on schedule, with the one difference being that I opted for road running rather than park running for my interval day.  The scenery here is beautiful, and a world of difference from the ruggedness of Connemara - us being on the east coast now, rather than hugging the Atlantic coast of the west.  There are corn fields and maize fields everywhere in this country that is rich in farmland and richer farmers!  For my holiday bits I have visited all the old monastic ruins from the 12th and 13th centuries - this place is littered with them!  Round towers and old churches are scattered here and there and stories of monks who held out against the vikings but crumbled under the reign of Henry VIII.  I've had a good running partner in Benny, who is just starting back to some training but has a serious residue of natural fitness.  D and I are heading back west again this evening for my brother's 40th party.  I'll do my long run in Seanféistín on Sunday, but we'll be back to the Wee County of Louth again on Tuesday to resume the hols. 

13.

There's Conor, often mentioned but first time pictured in this blog of mine.  While I'm going on about doing a marathon in October, this man is running one nearly every week!  By the end of this year he will have clocked up 37 or 38 and aims to get a full 100 done over the next few years!  We set off on a 13 mile run of Seanféistín this morning, on what was a beautiful day - and the first of my holidays.  I was not in good knick.  For starters I only had about 4.5 hours sleep due to the fact that the group of teenage boys who have been staying in our house for the past three weeks (learning Irish), were not home until late, at which time I had to feed them and make sure they eventually got to bed, and then they were to be woken up again just after 6am to catch an early bus.  The first half of the run was fine - I felt a bit weary but ok.  The conversation was good and the weather was warm.  Conor ran two miles further than I did - running a mile past my turning point and still catching me on the way back!  The day got pretty hot as we were entering the last five miles and I began to gasp for water.  Being a man of fair complexion, I can find any bit of heat to be tough.  I struggled on and finished with an average of about 9.30min.  Just ok.

Distance:  13miles

Route:  Seanféistín with Conor

Satisfaction:  5(I was suffering too much to go wild about this one!